Our Committees

Our Committees

Standards and Quality Committee

Chair: Prof. Richard Kefford
Secretary: Dr. Kujan Nagaratnam
Board Rep: A/Prof. Owen Ung (ex officio)
Variable Rep: Based on specialty of new specialist application

This committee is a medical advisory committee.

It is responsible to and reports to the Company Board. The Chairperson and secretary of the SQC are nominated by the board. The Chairperson is appointed for a period of three years. The CEO/ managing director of Specialist Services are ex officio members. The committee will comprise a fixed membership from within the specialist services group with at least one variable committee member being from the relevant sub specialist craft whose standards are being examined.

The terms of reference of the Standards committee include following:

  • Examination of credentials, qualifications, training, clinical experience of specialist. Current registration,continuing education, participation in quality improvement activities, required licenses (e.g. radiation Control Regulation) and current medical indemnity, which must be suitable to the level of practice, proposed.
  • Collate an annual audit of information required for re-accreditation including documentation of current medical indemnity insurance, EPA Licence, Company or Partnership name and/or ABN number
  • Practitioners will be considered for accreditation to Specialist Services if they can demonstrate their experience, training and competence, their adherence to the ethics of their profession, their good reputation and character and their ability to work harmoniously with others sufficiently to convince Specialist Services that all patients treated by them is association with Specialist Services will receive quality care and that Specialist Services and its staff will be able to operate in an effective manner.
  • The board has complete discretion in accepting applications. The board will consider each application on its merits, including but not limited to
    • Specialists Services needs, requirements and resources;
    • the applicants skills and experience;
    • the use made or proposed use of facilities by the applicant;
    • the applicant’s commitment to specialist services vision, mission and values
    • in relation to applicants who have previously been accredited, their involvement in quality management and education activities and their continued ability to provide safe, patient centred practice with attention to maintenance of adequate medical records, efficient billing practices and contribution to activities in any sub-specialty program.
  • Applications will not be considered unless they are submitted in response to a Specialist Services advertisement or request.

Applicants must:

  • Be registered medical practitioners in the state of the Specialist Services Facility
  • Submit evidence with their application of Medical or Dental Board Registration and their membership of professional indemnity insurance
  • Maintain medical board registration and medical indemnity insurance and submit written evidence to Specialist Services each year
  • Sign the declaration required by the Child Protection – (Prohibited Employment) Act 1998

The Board, through the SQC may grant accreditation for whatever period it sees fit up to a maximum of three years. New specialists will normally be granted accreditation for a period of not more than 12 months.

At the expiration of a period of accreditation, the specialist must apply for new accreditation in accordance with these By-laws. Where the Specialist’s previous application for accreditation is not more than 12 months old, the Board may dispense with the requirement for a new application form to be completed.

The Board may suspend or withdraw accreditation for a specialist at any time. Factors that may give rise to suspension or withdrawal of accreditation include but are not limited to:

  • Failure of the specialist to observe the terms and conditions of his or her appointment, including these by-laws
  • Following notification of certain circumstances; the specialist must notify the Board through the SQC if any of the following occur during the period of accreditation:
    • their membership of a defence organisation lapses
    • their professional indemnity insurance lapses
    • their accreditation is withdrawn from any hospital or medical institution
    • they are subject of a complaint to the Medical Tribunal, Professional Standard Committee of the Medical or Dental Board. They must also notify the outcome of the complaint. Only those complaints referred to the Medical Board and Medical tribunal need to be notified to the SQC
    • Any restrictions placed on their registration to practice or their registration suspended or cancelled

Ethics and Values Committee

Ethical issues arising should be referred to the relevant Ethics, Values and Standards Committee in the first instance and if necessary referred to a properly constituted ethics committee constituted pursuant to the National Health and Medical Research Council guidelines for interpretation, review and discussion.

The Specialist will be required to obtain the approval of an appropriately constituted ethics committee nominated by the group, as to the ethical acceptability of a course of new treatment or research project.